What’s Up With These Seriously Racist Google Apps?

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be Asian or Native American? Do you want to find out by using racist stereotypes through images that will offend pretty much anyone ever? Well, problem solved! There’s an app for that.

Ugh, no seriously… there is an app for that. One that I hope will soon disappear because it’s awful. I’m having a hard time even wrapping my head around why it exists in the first place, but it does.

Google Play, which sells apps on your computer similar to the apps you can buy for an iPhone/iPad/iPod, is selling two apps called “Make Me Indian” and “Make Me Asian”. Basically, you upload a picture of yourself and then you can add things to your image that will make you look Indian and Asian, and by that I mean it won’t make you look Native American or Asian because this is ridiculous.

In fact, there’s even a Change.org petition (sign it!) trying to get rid of these horrible apps. Why? Because they’re incredibly offensive to anyone who is Native American or Asian. As the petition says, “These apps overlay dated and racist stereotypes onto your photos: rice paddy hat, fu manchu mustache, slanty eyes and yellow skin – and voila, digital yellowface! Or you can pretend to be a Native American by slapping your picture with war paint, feather, and broadened nose, because we all know that that is all that it takes to represent “Indians”. These apps perpetuate hateful and offensive stereotypes that are used to this very day to marginalize and humiliate Asians and Native Americans.”

It’s hard to believe that we’re about to enter the year 2013 and stuff like this is still happening. You would think people would learn, especially after celebrity scandals like No Doubt using Native American stereotypes in their music video or Victoria’s Secret pulling an outfit from their annual fashion show because of the outrage surrounding it. Unfortunately, it looks like there are still some people who just don’t get it – stereotypes like these are wrong.

What do you think about these apps? Do they offend you? Are you going to sign the petition? Have you ever felt like people put you in a stereotype? Tell us in the comments.

I’m Native American and our regalias don’t even look like that so whoever made this app & is trying to be funny jokes on them…

sylvia

i’m asian and this kind of racism really hurts me. i think that we’re all encouraged to let this kind of thing slide. we grow up around racist people who tell us it’s not a big deal and we start to believe it, because we want to keep our friends. but this kind of casual racism is a symptom of the stuff that gets us physically attacked, dismissed, not hired at jobs, etc. this kind of racism makes people think it’s okay to touch me on the street, fondle me, or scream slurs. that makes it not okay, even if you three think it is! and cat, that’s nice that you have a “lot of native american in you” but that doesn’t give you an excuse to dismiss people for being offended by this. we are not losers.

Cat

Its supposed to be a joke don’t be a loser and flip out… my friend alex is asian and she would love this and wants this, plus I have alot of Native American in me and that doesn’t offend me…

Maya

im asian and i find this hilarious. if this was serious, ya, i’d be pretty mad, but its just a joke; an app made completely for laughs, not to be offensive or any thing like that im sure.

ashley

im native american and i feel the same way! asians and indians obviously dont look like that, so i dont care if people want to joke about it!